Stumpy Brown is a Wangkujanka woman who lives at Christmas Creek in the Kimberley. Stumpy has seen many changes throughout her lifetime but nothing so dramatic, when as a teenager, she saw a white man for the first time.

In which John Green teaches you about the beginning of the so-called Age of Discovery. You've probably heard of Christopher Columbus, who "discovered" America in 1492, but what about Vasco da Gama? How about Zheng He? Columbus gets a bad rap from many modern historians, but it turns out he was pretty important as far as the history of the world goes. That said, he wasn't the only pioneer plying the seas in the 1400s. In Portugal, Vasco da Gama was busy integrating Europe into the Indian Ocean Trade by sailing around Africa. Chinese admiral Zheng He was also traveling far and wide in the largest wooden ships ever built. Columbus, whether portrayed as hero or villain, is usually credited as the great sailor of the 15th century, but he definitely wasn't the only contender. What better way to settle this question than with a knock-down, drag-out, no holds barred, old-fashioned battle royal? We were going to make it a cage match, but welding is EXPENSIVE.
Resources:
The Age of Reconnaissance by JH Parry - An explanation of the technologies that made these voyages possible, and a nice detailed record of many of the important voyages. http://dft.ba/-discovery
When China Ruled the Sea by Louise Levathes: A history of the Ming dynasty's ventures into maritime exploration. http://dft.ba/-zhenghedragon
Unknown Seas by Ronald Watkins: A highly readable account of Vasco da Gama's introduction of europe into the Indian Ocean trade. http://dft.ba/-vasco
Crash Course World History is now available on DVD! http://store.dftba.com/products/crashcourse-world-history-the-complete-series-dvd-set
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An educational animation which recounts the four voyages of Columbus. Hope you enjoy!

Bibliography at bottom of description

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This video is meant to give a non-bias account of the events which unfolded when Columbus and his crew made contact with the people of the Caribbean. Of course, I was not able to fit everything into the video; I had to omit details, such as the fact that the Taino were not the only people that Columbus encountered (there were also the Ciguayo tribe and Carib cannibals). A second particular is that not all fault should lie directly on Columbus' shoulders. His crew of 1,200 for the second journey consisted partly of convicts and landless nobles, the worst type of people with which to build a settlement. Another fact is that Columbus grew up in societies (Genoa, then Portugal) that kept domestic slaves.

I have no political agenda for making this video. I am a student of history and I have tried to give an account of Columbus' journeys that is as close as we can possibly get to the truth.

I will I admit that I am not a fan of Columbus. I think he was cruel, even for his time. We cannot judge a 15th-century human from a 21st-century perspective; but even for the 15th century, he was an awful arbiter.

Sources:

Bergreen, Laurence. Columbus: The Four Voyages. Viking Penguin, 2011.

Carman, Harry J., and Harold C. Syrett. A History of the American People. Vol. 1. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1952.

Fernandez-Armesto, Felipe. 1492; The Year the World Began. Harper Collins e-books, 2009.

Hale, Edward E. The Life of Christopher Columbus from His Own Letters and Journals. Rockville, Maryland: Arc Manor, 2008.